Method of building a circular brick wall



Sept; 9, 1958 w. H. SCHIEIB ,2,8..50,8.91

METHOD OF BUILDING A; CIRCULAR BRICK mu.-

Fil'ed Nov. 9, 1953 2 sheeta she qt 1 INVENTOR. WALTER H. SCHE IB yrs nrronugy w. H. SCHEIB 2,850,891

METHOD OF BUILDING A CIRCULAR BRICK WALL Se t. 9, 1958 Filed Nov. 9, 1955 2 Sheets-:Sheet 2 I I 1 I l 1/ //7/ z/r r H/ 7/ W I INVENTOR. WALTER H. SCHE! B i/wz w HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent METHOD OF BUILDING A CIRCULAR BRICK WALL Walter H. Scheib, Salem, Ohio, assignor to Salem-Brosius, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 390,795

2 Claims. (CI. 72-37) This invention relates to a generally circular brick wall and the building thereof, particularly such a wall which in use may be subjected to forces tending to deteriorate may take the form or destroy it. While my wall has especial utility as the center wall of a rotary hearth furnace it may also be used otherwise to great advantage.

For purposes of explanation and illustration I shall describe my wall and a method of constructing it specifically as the center wall of a rotary hearth furnace and the building of such a wall. In a rotary hearth furnace the hearth turns about the center wall which may either be stationary or turn with the hearth and billets are charged in radially from the outside toward the center onto the hearth and after traversing the major portion of the circumference of the furnace on the hearth, during which time the billets are heated, they are withdrawn radially outwardly. The center wall of the furnace encloses a central open space, normally being in the form of a hollow cylinder, and forms the inner wall of the annular heating chamber. When the billets are charged into the furnace as above described they may strike the center wall, chipping or spalling the outside surface and ultimately piercing the wall. Other deteriorating forces may act on the center wall, as, for example, vibratory or other forces transmitted from adjacent operations through the foundation.

Heretofore the center walls of rotary hearth furnaces have been built up of bricks in the conventional way with the bricks being laid course upon course with the bricks oriented generally horizontally. Such center walls have had an undesirably short life due to deterioration caused by the forces imposed on them as above mentioned.

I have devised a generally circular brick wall having a substantially longer life whenemployed as the center wall of a rotary hearth furnace than the center walls of such furnaces as heretofore constructed. My wall is so constructed that it resists forces tending to punch holes in the wall as when billets being charged into the furnace strike the outside of the wall. My wall also resists deterioration due to vibratory or other forces transmitted to the wall through its foundation or otherwise. No mortar is required to maintain the integrity of the wall, the bricks being maintained in proper assembly as a part of the wall construction due to the manner in which they are laid aided by the force of gravity.

I provide a generally circular brick wall comprising a series of courses of bricks with the bricks of each course laid atop those of the course below and each brick tilted downwardly and inwardly, the sides of the bricks of each course being in engagement with each other whereby to resist any tendency of the bricks to fall inwardly. Each brick preferably has its greatest dimension transverse of the wall, i. e., extending generally through rather than generally along the wall. While standard bricks might be used to build my wall I prefer to employ wedge shaped bricks. I may employ bricks which are wedge shaped when viewed in plan and of uniform height throughout,

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or the bricks may be of tapered or wedge shape both in plan and in elevation, the narrower end of the brick, either in plan or both in plan and in elevation, being disposed inwardly.

My wall may take the form of a hollow cylinder or it of a hollow cone by decreasing the number of bricks per course as the building of the wall progresses and/or using bricks which are tapered both in plan and in elevation. The term generally circular as herein used is a term of broad definition applicable to the horizontal cross section of the wall whether the wall be generally in the form of a hollow cylinder or generally in the form of a hollow cone. Moreover, generally circular includes a circumferentially closed wall of elliptical or other closed shape as well as a wall which is precisely circular. Also, I use the term brick as a term of broad definition and not of limitation. The term is not limited to what are commonly called bricks in the building trade but embraces any other suitable structural elements irrespective of the material of which they are made or their precise shape. i

In making my generally circular brick wall I lay bricks in a series of generally circular courses with the bricks of each course laid atop those of the course below and each brick tilted downwardly and inwardly, I hold the bricks of each course against downward and inward movement until all the bricks of the course have been laid and I arrange the bricks of each course with their sides in engagement with each other whereby to resist any tendency of the bricks of the completed course to fall inwardly. I may anchor the first laid brick of each course against downward and inward movement and also against sidewise movement, lay the remaining bricks of the course each with one of its sides in engagement with a side of a previously laid brick whereby the bricks are held against downward and inward movement during laying of the course and arrange the bricks of the course each with its sides in engagement with the sides of the adjacent bricks at both sides whereby to resist any tendency of the bricks of the completed course to fall inwardly. Opposed sides of adjacent bricks may engage each other throughout substantially the entire areas of the sides or at only limited portions of the areas of the sides depending on the shape of the bricks and their relative arrangement. The bricks need not necessarily be all of the same shape; for example some standard bricks may be used among wedge shaped bricks.

I may make a generally conical brick wall in the manner above described, laying fewer bricks per course as the building of the wall progresses upwardly. Thus the wall leans inwardly and braces itself to a somewhat greater degree than if the same number of bricks are employed in each course.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof and a present preferred method of practicing the same proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodiment of the invention and I have illustrated a present preferred method of practicing the same in which Figure l is a perspective view of a generally circular brick wall constructed by laying fewer bricks per course as the building of the wall progresses upwardly so that the wall is of generally hollow conical form; and

Figure 2 is a central vertical cross-sectional view throughthe wall shown in Figure l employed as the 3. annular shape with its inner face disposed at an angle to the horizontal and extending downwardly and inwardly. The angle of the inner face 5 of the skew 4 may be varied; I find that an angle of between 40 and 50 to the horizontal is:desi'rable. The angle may to advantage be about as steep as or steeper than the angle of repose of bricks one upon another, particularly when the bricksare subjectedto forces such as vibrations which tend to overcome static friction. The skew 4 may be made of concrete, of sand and cement or of any other material suitable for supporting the wall. The rotary hearth is disposed generally about the skew 4 and is not shown in the drawings because it may be of conventional structure as known to those skilled in the art. The furnace roof is shown fragmentarily at 6.

I shall describe the building of a center wall using bricks of wedge shape. The bricks may be made of any suitable material, heat resistant brick commonly being employed when the Wall is to be employed as the center wall of a rotary hearth furnace.

The first brick A of the first course is laid upon the inner face 5 of the skew 4.' Since the angle of inclination of the inner face 5 may be so great that the brick might slide downwardly and inwardly it is anchored against such downward and inward sliding by any suitable anchoring means, as, for example, a clip 7 of spring wire gripping the upper end of the brick and having a detent 8 hooking over the upper outer corner of the skew 4. The clip 7 may also prevent side movement of the first brick or such side movement may be prevented otherwise, as by a nail driven into the skew serving as a temporary stop and later withdrawn. After completion of the first course the anchoring clip may be removed. The second brick B is laid beside the anchored first brick A with one of its sides in engagement with a side 'of the anchored first brick A. The engagement between the sides of the bricks is suflicient to prevent the second brick from sliding downwardly and inwardly upon the inclined inner face 5 of the skew 4. Construction of the course is continued in like manner, each brick being laid with one of its sides in engagement with aside of a previously laid brick. This method of construction inhibits downward and inward sliding of the bricks prior to completion of the course.

The bricks of the first course are arranged so that each brick has its sides in engagement with the sides of the adjacent bricks at both sides. Thus any tendency of the bricks of the completed course to fall inwardly is resisted. After completion of the course the clip 7 may be removed.

When the last brick is inserted in the course, if the space left for it is not of proper width to snugly receive the brick between the previously laid bricks on both sides the previously laid bricks, or a number of them, may be shifted slightly along the inner face 5 of the skew 4 toward or away from the axis of the furnace until the bricks of the course are collectively arranged each with its sides in engagement with the sides of the adjacent bricks at both sides whereby to resist any tendency of the bricks of the completed course to fall inwardly.

The bricks of the second course are laid in the same manner as above described with respect to the bricks of the first course. The spring clip 7' which is used for temporarily anchoring the first brick C of the second course may have a detent 8' of slightly different shape than the detent 8 of the spring clip 7 to engage a brick of the first course as shown in Figure 2. The clip 7 may be used for each course after the first course. The first brick of each course after the first course may be held against side movement by a piece of sheet metal inserted temporarily between bricks of the course below and projecting upwardly.

While the wall may be built with the same number of bricks in each course I find it desirable to lay fewer bricks per course as the building of the wall progresses 4 upwardly, the result being that the wall assumes generally the form of a hollow cone. Such a wall is clearly shown in each of Figures 1 and 2.

When the wall is subjected to forces tending to deteriorate it the force of gravity acting on the bricks tends to consolidate the wall and resist deterioration. The bricks of the respective courses interlock with respect to horizontal forces exerted radially against the outside of the wall such as the forces imparted to the wall by billets being charged onto the rotary hearth of the furnace which surrounds the Wall. While it might seem that an isolated brick in a course might tend to slide downwardly and inwardly relatively to the bricks on either side thereof the relationship in which the bricks are laid effectively inhibits such action. The result is tantamount to a circumferential interlocking of the bricks.

The bricks of the wall shown in the drawings have their greatest dimensions transverse of the Wall. That is the normal way of constructing such a wall and 'it is preferred. However, the wall might be built with the greatest dimensions of the bricks extending circumferentially rather than transversely of the wall. Indeed, the bricks need not be of oblong shape; they may be of any shape suitable for the purpose. As above indicated, tapered or wedge-shaped bricks are preferred and are normally employed.

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention and have illustrated a present preferred method of practicing the same it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A method of making a generally circular brick wall comprising laying and anchoring a first brick at a downwardly and inwardly inclined angle at least about as steep as the angle of repose for the brick lying on another similar brick, thereafter laying a second brick on a surface inclined at substantially the same angle as the first brick and providing the second brick with frictional contact solely with said surface and a side of the first brick to prevent downward slipping of the second brick, laying other bricks in sequence and similarly to the second brick with the side and bottom surfaces thereof providing the sole frictional contact to prevent downward slipping thereof, positioning the first brick, the second brick and the other bricks when being laid in a closed generally circular substantially horizontal course with the bricks inclined downwardly and inwardly and in the completed course holding one another against downward and inward movement, and similarly laying other courses of bricks superimposed upon the first mentioned course to form a generally circular brick wall.

2. A method of making a generally circular brick wall comprising laying and anchoring a first brick at a downwardly and inwardly inclined angle at least about as steep as the angle of repose for the brick lying on another similar brick, thereafter laying a second brick on a surface inclined at substantially the same angle as the first brick and providing the second brick with frictional contact solely with said surface and a side of the first brick to prevent downward slipping of the second brick, laying other bricks in sequence and similarly to the second brick with the side and, bottom surfaces thereof providing the sole frictional contact to prevent downward slipping thereof, positioning the first brick, the second brick and the other bricks when being laid in a closed generally circular substantially horizontal course with the bricks inclined downwardly and inwardly and in the completed course holding one another against downward-and inward movement, similarly laying other courses of bricks superimposed upon the first mentioned 'course to form a generally circular brick wall and laying fewer bricks per course as the building of the wall progresses upwardly.

(References on following page) 5 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,058,810 MacDonald Oct. 27, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,291,938 Agnew Aug. 4, 1942 672,004 MCROY Apr. 16, 1901 1,785,178 Bowman Dec. 16, 1930 L FOREIGN PATENTS 5 2,002,127 ONeal May 21, 1935 41,762 Sweden 1916 

